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fifteen

ERIN

Just like he promised, Rhett won the next challenge. The reward was another boat ride. Because Kyle went with us, I spent the whole trip curled against Rhett’s side. We didn’t talk much—the wind was too loud to have a real conversation.

Ian was gone when we got back from our reward.

The air on the island seemed more tense, but the rain stopped, at least.

Though I caught Colt glaring at me a few times, I tried not to let it get to my head.

Three uncomfortable days later, Rhett won the next challenge too. Kyle took second, so the three of us were off together again.

The reward was a flight to a beautiful lookout point at the top of a mountain, where we had a picnic dinner. After we were done eating, Kyle made up an excuse about going for a walk and made himself scarce, leaving me alone with Rhett.

“So,” Rhett said, as I stared out at the islands and ocean on the horizon.

“So.”

He set his hand on my thigh, and I couldn’t help but look at him.

“I want to kiss you,” he said. “But you seem mad at me.”

I scowled. “I’m not mad. I’m just…”

Terrified you’ll lose the next challenge.

Worried I’m going to get stuck with Colt, who clearly hates me.

Afraid I’ll end up married to Kyle when I want you.

“Nervous,” I finally said.

Rhett’s expression told me he didn’t believe me, but he didn’t say anything to argue.

Instead, he lifted me off the picnic blanket and set me on his lap, so I was straddling him.

My body warmed when I felt his erection against me. “There are cameras,” I said.

“Everyone behind them knows exactly who you belong to.” He slid a hand over my hip. “They’ll delete the footage.”

“Rhett,” I warned, though whatever I’d been about to say disappeared from my mind when his hand slid over my face, tucking a few strands of hair behind my ear.

“I just want to kiss you, Chaos,” he murmured. “Nothing else.”

My throat swelled. “What if you lose?”

“I won’t lose.”

I was still scared.

But when Rhett’s lips met mine, he wiped that fear away until all that was left was desire.

We made out on the mountain until it was time to go back to the game, never letting it go further than that.

But damn, I wanted more.

When we arrived on the island again, there were no pleasantries.

No polite greetings.

No hellos.

I noticed immediately that Colt was gone.

Travis stormed toward us, and Rhett tucked me behind his back, where I was safe.

When Travis shoved him, Rhett moved me behind Kyle in one smooth motion, without turning to face me.

“What the fuck, man?” Travis snarled. “You show up and tell us you’re not playing the game, then go behind our backs and screw the woman we’re all fighting for?”

Colt must’ve told them about walking in on us when they were voting him out.

Lovely.

“I’ve played in the challenges the same way you have,” Rhett said, his voice surprisingly calm.

“Not by choice!”

“I have wings. I could’ve left the island the moment I realized what Christina planned. I could’ve left the game. I chose to stay, which means I chose to play. It’s not my fault you didn’t put the facts together,” Rhett said.

Travis tried to shove him again.

Rhett caught his wrists. “Think very carefully about your next actions. I’m not allowed to kill you, but I can make your life very, very painful.”

Travis glowered at Rhett, but Rhett didn’t shrink. He simply released Travis’s hands and stood his ground.

Whatever lingering doubt I’d had about whether or not Rhett was the kind of guy I should marry vanished entirely. Travis had literally attacked him, and he didn’t lose his temper, flinch, or even really react except to stop the confrontation,

He was steady.

At ease.

Confident.

It was as sexy as it was reassuring.

“What’s going on, exactly?” Kyle asked.

We’d told him about Colt catching us, so he was just asking so he could play along.

If and when Rhett won, Kyle would have to come back to the island to play again. So, he needed to maintain a relationship with the other guys as much as possible.

“Colt found them screwing a few days ago,” Travis snarled back. “He told us at the council.”

“How sure are you that it’s true?” Kyle countered.

“He didn’t deny it.” Travis tossed a hand toward Rhett. “Neither did she.”

Shit.

Guess we should’ve protested.

“It’s true,” Rhett said, leveling his gaze with Kyle’s. “Erin is mine.”

The simple declaration made me warm all over.

“You’d better hope you win the next challenge, then,” Kyle retorted.

“I will.” Rhett didn’t hesitate.

There was no room for uncertainty.

Because if he didn’t win…

Well, I wasn’t going to consider that.

He had to win.

Or I’d have to mate with Kyle.

Rhett took my hand and led me back to the shelter we’d always slept in. It had grown emptier over the weeks, and Colt and Travis had been the only ones who slept in it with us anymore.

Considering Colt was gone and Travis had flipped out, it seemed safe to say we’d be sleeping in it alone.

“Sorry,” I whispered. “I should’ve claimed Colt was lying.”

“I should’ve too,” Rhett admitted. “Lying doesn’t come naturally to me.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“Anywhere but here, it is.”

Rhett pulled me down to the shelter’s uneven base again and wrapped me in his arms. For the first time ever, I let myself hug him the way I wanted to, my fingertips digging into his skin lightly and my leg draped over his cock.

It grew and hardened beneath me, and my lips curved upward slightly. “How much privacy do we have in here?”

His arms tightened around me. “Not enough for what I want to do to you.”

Sighing, I nodded against his chest and closed my eyes. “I know this isn’t what you wanted, but I’m glad you’re here.”

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” His voice was quiet, but made my throat thicken anyway.

I stayed in his arms for a long time, but eventually, sleep took over.

The next few days were spent tucked against Rhett’s side. Though there were things we needed to discuss, neither of us wanted to have those tense conversations while Travis was glaring at us so heatedly.

I did ask Rhett if we needed to worry about Travis using his magic on me, considering he could basically force me to do things I didn’t want to do. His reply that Travis wasn’t smart, but was too smart to risk that , put me at ease.

So, we sat.

And snuggled.

It was actually kind of nice.

Unlike Travis, Chris didn’t glare at all. I actually heard him murmur a congrats to Rhett in passing, when Travis wasn’t around.

Kyle tried to lighten the mood with jokes, teasing everyone that Rhett had “outsmarted us”, but it didn’t work.

Travis was too furious.

When the final challenge arrived, my stomach hurt so badly, I worried I might throw up.

Rhett held me to his chest while the boat sped to the island, but it didn’t calm my nerves.

Not when I knew what was at stake.

I took my seat on the bench when we reached the island, and heard Travis grumble, “It’s the same stupid puzzle from the last challenge of last season.”

“I hope they at least replaced Molly with Erin,” Kyle said with a snort.

My forehead creased, and I looked over all of them.

None of the remaining four men were good at puzzles. Kyle was absolute shit with them, and Travis was too. But Rhett and Chris?

They were probably equal. Not great, and not terrible.

Jordan had the men all take their places in front of large platforms. I assumed they would be building the puzzle on those.

When he announced the start of the challenge, the men immediately began.

Kyle started sorting the pieces. Rhett did too.

Travis tried them randomly, his expression growing more frustrated with every one he got wrong.

Chris’s tactic was a mixture of sorting and testing.

“What were they saying about the puzzle?” I whispered to Jordan, knowing he wasn’t allowed to give me much information but would tell me what he could.

“The final puzzle last season formed a large statue of Molly,” Jordan murmured back.

So the guys thought this one was of me.

I wrinkled my nose at the idea of seeing a statue of myself, but the wrinkle vanished when I saw Chris place the first correct piece.

Crap.

Crap, crap, crap.

If Rhett didn’t win, I was fucked. And not in a good way. I had feelings for the bastard. Deep feelings. Feelings I wasn’t anywhere near ready to acknowledge, but feelings that were definitely still there.

I slid to the edge of my bench, praying to whatever the hell was in the sky—if anything was up there—to help Rhett win. I wasn’t much for relying on other people or things, but I literally had no other choice.

“This game is so screwed up,” I told Jordan, my heart hammering in my chest.

“Wouldn’t be quite as bad if you didn’t go getting attached to one of the contestants.”

I smacked him on the arm, and he chuckled, not bothering to pretend it hurt.

Chris got two more pieces.

I started to sweat.

It was cloudy and windy outside, but not raining.

For once, I wanted the rain. Anything to erase the wetness gathering in my pits and on my back.

I was so close to getting everything I wanted.

And so, so close to losing it.

The puzzle went on, slowly.

Chris was halfway through, and I was fervently whispering please to anyone or anything that might be listening, when Rhett finally got his first piece.

A bolt of gratitude raced down my spine.

It vanished as quickly as it had hit.

But Rhett was moving, then.

The pieces went down quickly as he worked through the sections he’d made.

Kyle got a few, though his sorted piles didn’t look terribly organized.

Travis had about a dozen up, but they didn’t look correct next to the other guys’.

Rhett finally caught Chris halfway up my puzzle’s face.

“I’m going to rip my fucking hair out,” I told Jordan, breathing rapidly.

“Same.”

I would’ve grabbed his hand if I thought he would let me, but given the game, that was an instant no.

Chris put another piece in.

Rhett did too.

Chris got another.

Rhett got two more.

My stomach clenched so painfully, there was a real chance I was going to throw up.

Suddenly, Chris put three pieces in.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

He only had one left. One piece. On the table beside him.

Rhett still had four.

He was so laser-focused on the puzzle, he didn’t know how close Chris was.

My heart started to sink.

I never cried, but my damn eyes flooded with tears.

That was it.

I was going to have to mate with Kyle.

Travis whooped loudly as Chris picked up the final piece, glancing over at Rhett’s puzzle.

Then, he looked at me.

Rhett put another piece in, and another.

After a long moment, Chris looked back at his puzzle and feigned trying to place it. From the angle I was sitting, I could clearly see that he had it backward. “Shit! It doesn’t fit!” He dropped his last piece and pulled three out.

My stomach clenched tighter.

My eyes blurred with water.

He hadn’t messed the puzzle up.

He’d been a heartbeat away from winning.

Travis snarled and swore, but the words didn’t even register in my mind.

Because Rhett put the final puzzle pieces in, and Jordan stood.

My mind was in a daze as he announced the winner.

As I got to my feet and ran the three steps to Rhett.

As he caught me and hauled me off the sand, holding me so tightly I stopped breathing for a moment.

He held me steadily against his chest as he lowered me back to my feet, my heart still pounding.

While Jordan announced the reward, I looked at Chris.

His lips curved upward when he met my gaze.

I mouthed a soft thank you, and he winked.

Rhett whisked me off to the speedboat nearby moments later, and my heartbeat finally slowed as he held me close through the ride.

We made it.

We made it.

We made it.